1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer video games, and more particularly, to computer video games implemented on a rotating cube.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Computer video games have become popular entertainment options for children and adults alike. Many fantasy games have been created and many traditional games such as chess, draw poker and the like have been implemented in a computer video format. However, such video games typically keep the same format as the original game and, although often displayed in three dimensions, are generally limited to two-dimensional play on the video screen. In other words, traditional video games generally do not permit the game to be manipulated and played in three dimensions and thus do not permit the additional level of complexity possible when the games are played in three dimensions.
Three-dimensional cube manipulating puzzles such as RUBIK'S CUBE.RTM. have been around for some time and have even been implemented in video form. For example, Ta-Hsien et al. describe in U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,113 a video puzzle cube game in which all six sides of the cube are displayed at a time. Menu options are provided which permit manipulation of the cube for matching patterns in a manner akin to solving a RUBIK'S CUBE.RTM. puzzle. Scoring of the game is directly proportional to the number of identical unit squares on the same side of the cube. Scoring is maximized by solving the puzzle rapidly. However, no mention is made of extending this cube game concept to other types of games, particularly word games such as crossword puzzles.
Crossword puzzles and other word games have become increasingly popular. Crossword puzzles and word games are found in most daily newspapers as well as in crossword puzzle and word game books. Unfortunately, because of the paper medium on which the crossword puzzles and word games are presented, the crossword puzzles and word games have been limited to two dimensions. Of course, if the presentation could be extended to a third dimension, the puzzles and word games could be made much more challenging.
The present inventors propose to use the computer video medium for presenting crossword puzzles and other games so that the puzzles and games may be solved (played) in three dimensions on a laptop computer, home computer, or the like. As will be described below, such games and puzzles are not limited to simple manipulating and matching games of the type disclosed by Ta-Hsien et al.